


Amantes Viatorem

by IxBirch



Series: In Regeneratione [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Reincarnation, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:28:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29324706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IxBirch/pseuds/IxBirch
Summary: For well over a week, you came across a sleeping grad student in your bookshop. He was kind and offered good conversation, but something inscrutable told you to trust him.❦Call me like the seaand beckon me back to you.Lull me with your waves.Tyler Knott Gregson
Relationships: Armin Arlert & Reader, Armin Arlert/Reader
Series: In Regeneratione [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139396
Comments: 20
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Reincarnation-AU for my fic Veritas Omnia Vincit. I don't plan on referencing the original fic at all, so it should be fine as a stand-alone.
> 
> *I do not own Attack on Titan | Shingeki no Kyojin, or any of the characters save for my own. Thank you.

❦

The first time it happened, you thought he was just another student who was using the bookshop as a library. You honestly didn’t care—you were just excited that people still wanted the physical book in their hands—but your manager did. She sent you to wake him. It is a process unto itself just to get to him—piles of books surround him, and when you try calling to him he doesn’t stir. You finally manage to get close enough and tap his shoulder when he wakes. 

He lets out a startled cry at your presence before him. You pull back, but your eyes can’t seem to leave his. They’re a startling blue that reminds you of the sea.

“Uh, hi,” you start. “I’m sorry to wake you, but the bookshop is closing in a half hour and I’d hate to have to lock you in.” You offer your most sincere customer service smile.

“Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to sleep here,” he says, eyes still intently locked on yours. Realizing he was staring, he released his gaze and took in the books spread out around him. “Oh, no! I didn’t mean to leave this mess for you—”

“Don’t worry about it, sir. It looks like most of these belong in the same section, anyway,” you say, noting that nearly _all_ of them belong in the travel section. 

“Ah, please, Armin. Uh… The least I can do is help put them back,” he offers, though it sounds like a question.

“No, you don’t have to, Armin,” you reply. 

He refuses to let you do this alone, so he carries the books for you and stays with you while you put them away. You find out that he’s a grad student at the local university and this is the first time he’s actually traveled more than a half hour away from home. He’s sweet, but most of your customers are. You bid him goodnight and help your manager close up shop.

The second time it happens, it’s earlier in the day. He’s asleep in the same chair with fewer books this time. Still mostly from the travel section. You wake him and he blushes at having fallen asleep again. He puts the books back and leaves.

The fourth time, you catch him just as he’s dozing off. It’s about a week after the last encounter. You nudge his shoulder and he startles. He offers you an easy smile when he realizes it’s just you. He apologizes and you offer him one of your favorite books, bound to be more engaging than these travel books he keeps reading. Sure enough, two hours later, he’s nearly done—which is surprising in and of itself considering the sheer _size_ of that book—with a coffee by his side.

The seventh time, you buy him a large coffee. You wake him, as you always do, and his sleepy smile is warm and adorable. He thanks you before you tell him your shift is just about up and you have to leave. It’s not until you’re already gone that he notices your phone number on the side of the cup, just in case.

❦

You don’t see him for a while. And by “a while,” you really just mean two weeks. He had become a fixture in that chair in your bookshop. You enjoy his calming presence, his eagerness to learn. Maybe you scared him off by giving him your phone number?

You still aren’t sure what possessed you to do that. You never give out personal information to customers, especially after that one time your coworker accidentally gave out your shift schedule and you were followed to your apartment after closing. Lucky for you, your Staffordshire Terrier is stupidly protective of you and pushed her way out of the door to grab him a couple buildings down. 

But you still did it. You still gave him your number. 

You’re not disappointed by his absence. You’re not disappointed that he hasn’t texted you. You’re not. ~~Except you very much are~~.

You push yourself through your morning shift, eager to get home and take your pup out for a _really_ long jog. As you leave, you see him approaching. 

_Oh._

His eyes find you and a nervous smile fixes itself on his face.

“Oh, uh, hi! I—I’m sorry I haven’t reached out yet.” As he speaks, his cheeks increase in their rosiness.

He was going to?

“I’ve been really swamped at the university. The first essays were due for the two classes I T.A. and—”

“Wait, you’re a T.A.?”

A hesitant smile starts to form. “Uh, yeah,” he answers, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s how I’m able to stay with the University. I was actually hoping to see you here to apologize—”

“Apologize? For what?”

“Well, I—um… I felt bad that you gave me coffee and your number and I haven’t even texted or anything,” he hedges.

“Armin,” you say, intentionally ignoring the way he perks up at the sound of his name falling from your lips. “That’s fine. What matters, I guess, is that you wanted to at all.”

You can’t help but mirror his blush at his sudden speechlessness. After a minute of you two standing in the middle of the sidewalk with those smiles like idiots, he speaks. “I… Are you off now? I-I’d like to repay you for the coffee.”

Your smile deepens and you nod. “I’d like that. Uh, but I—” He immediately begins to deflate and you feel like the worst person ever to bring that expression to his face. “No, no, no! I’m not saying no! I really want to! I just haven’t walked my dog yet!”

“Oh,” he says, almost a whisper. “Okay.”

“Would you—ah, you don’t have to say yes, but would you like to join me?”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” he answers.

You gesture forward, in the direction you’ll be walking in and he falls in step with you.

“I, uh. I actually have a history with men following me home, so would it be okay if I asked you to stand at the corner before my complex? I’ll meet you there, I promise.”

“That’s—yeah, that’s fine. Do what you need to do to feel safe.”

When you risk a glance his way, he looks contemplative. Catching your eyes, he offers an easy smile.

Why does this feel so familiar?

❦

You can tell she’s excited to meet someone new by the subtle pull on the leash, but you’ve trained her too well for her to disobey. Armin’s standing at the corner, just as he said he would. His hands are in his pockets and at the sound of her whimper, he looks up.

You’re momentarily blinded by the bright smile that graces his face, by how happy and carefree he looks in the moment. He steps forward and you command her to sit. Her tail is wagging excitedly but she stays in place while he continues his approach. 

“This is Maria,” you introduce. “She is _very_ excited to meet you. Go ahead and let her sniff your hand first—she’s a total softie to almost everyone, but she can be a bit of a bully with her love.”

He offers his hand and she greedily sniffs it before offering a nice, wet lick. You melt a little at his laugh and the easy way Maria gets along with him.

“So, where to?” He asks.

“Well… that depends.” He looks at you curiously before you continue. “On how much time you have?”

“Oh. I, uh, I don’t actually have anything more to do for the day, so wherever you want to go is fine.”

You try to hide your inner excitement at the prospect of spending the rest of the day with him, but you’re certain your smile gives you away. “Okay. I can work with that. In that case, there’s a park not too far from here that’s dog-friendly. We’ll cross here, then go right.”

You lead him to the park with Maria leaning up against him nearly the entire way. Conversation flows freely, and you see him gain more confidence as you start to enter topics he’s familiar with. 

He’s currently a grad student focusing on sociology, specifically racial and cultural inequalities across the country. He wants to either work with non-profits across the country to help lift up disadvantaged communities, though he does have a knack for teaching. He used to live in a small, landlocked part of the country and his family didn’t have enough money to be able to travel. He ended up applying to universities all around the country after having gotten his bachelor’s. Of the schools that got back to him, this one was one that offered a full-ride and a great location. 

Your city sits at the base of a peninsula, with beaches only about 45 minutes away. In between the beach and the city are mountains and forests great for hiking—you’d regularly take Maria on day-hikes through the woods in the summer. The closer you get to the tip of the peninsula, the thicker the cities get, but they are rich with museums, concert halls, clubs, botanical gardens, aquariums… You absolutely love this area, but it is becoming more difficult to afford things. 

The two of you walk around the park a couple of times before Maria’s finally showing signs of being worn out. There’s a little coffee shack in the middle of the park and you two make for a bench that’s nearby. As you sit, Armin goes and pays for coffee. 

Despite her weariness, Maria still stands at Armin’s approach. He smiles and joins you on the bench.

“So, Armin,” you start, happily taking the offered cup. “Where are you hoping to go?”

“Go?” he asks in surprise.

“I can only imagine that you’re itching to go somewhere, what, with how you always take a look at our travel books. So where are you hoping to go?”

You take his reflective silence as an opportunity to drink. When you’re done, he answers.

“Honestly? I’d like to go everywhere, see everything. But I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to afford it. Like now, I’m so far from home, but I still can’t afford to _go_ anywhere around here.”

“Yeah, this area _is_ incredibly expensive. So when you say you can’t afford to go anywhere, how far is ‘anywhere?’”

“Pretty close to here,” he sighs, defeat in his voice.

“I—I hope I don’t come across too forward, but I could show you around the area?” you offer, nervous about this. 

You just met this man a month ago and you’re offering to take him to some of your favorite spots. You two hardly know a thing about one another! But something tells you can trust him completely. A part of you ~~and you won’t admit how large that part is~~ really _wants_ to trust him. But you could totally be projecting this on him. You _did_ push your number on him, after all. 

“You… you’d be willing to do that?” 

His words pull you out of your reverie and you look up to see hope overflowing from his eyes. Yes, you trust him. You trust this complete stranger.

“Absolutely, I would.”


	2. Chapter 2

You love your car. Not just because it’s a 1973 Datsun 240Z 2+2 in amazing condition, but because it’s the last remnant you have of your brother and father. 

Your father had bought one like-new in the eighties. He drove your mom and him around everywhere in it—they even made a coastal trip that took about a week to complete. He drove it everywhere, even after your mom had gotten something larger when your brother and you came into the picture. It was the car your brother had learned to drive in. When your father died of lung cancer, it went to your brother. Your father had driven the car into the ground, and so your brother had spent the next several years slowly re-building the engine himself, determined to honor your father by caring for his car. When your brother died in an accident while his friend and he were returning from a concert late at night, the car went to you. 

With work being within walking distance and most of your classes available online, you never really needed to drive it. Even still, you managed to care for it nonetheless. You’d take it out for a drive at least once every two or three weeks, make sure the brake rotors were fine, oil levels good. It was one of your favorite ways to honor your father and brother—those Sundays spent either on the road or just making sure your car was taken care of and in as close to pristine condition as possible.

And now? Now you were excited to take it out on the road with someone. It had honestly been years since you had a [human] passenger with you, and you were excited for someone else to experience this with you. Honestly? Driving through the mountains in this car was one of your favorite pastimes. It was euphoric, the way that it would grip the winding road, nothing but the green of the trees and the blue of the sky ahead of you as you ascended up the mountainside. 

You’re parked in temporary parking on the campus, nearest the building Armin said he resides in. Maria is in the back, shifting eagerly at the prospect of “hike”—too small for any person to occupy, but perfect for someone who doesn’t need leg space. There are the usual amount of students meandering, several guys gawking at your car, but none of them are the one you’re looking for. You get out of the car and lean up against it as you pull out your phone.

Two rings— “Are you here?”

“Yeah, I’m just outside. I’m worried that I’m going to run out the clock on this temporary parking.”

“I’m on my way. Uh, what’s your car look like?”

“It’s a ‘73 Datsun and—y’know what? It’s small, older, and a bright ass burnt-orange,” you describe, peering into the crowd.

“Ah, I think I see you,” he comments. You don’t see him, so you raise your hand to increase visibility. “Is that you waving?”

“Yep!”

There he is—an adorable mix of anticipation and bashfulness as he makes his way to you. You hang up and offer a wide smile. He opens the passenger door and is greeted by a _very_ happy Maria. He places his backpack in the rear next to her and she eagerly sniffs the new pack. 

You get back in your car and realize you left your own bag on the floor in front of his seat. “Oh, shit. You can put my bag back there, too. She has plenty of room.”

He does so and straps in. “Where are we going?”

“Have you ever seen redwoods? Properly?” you ask, a thrilled little glint in your eye. Your smile grows as you watch the excitement rise in him.

❦  


The windows are rolled down, Maria’s warm breathing in your ear contrasts the cool wind that streams through the car. Armin’s quiet, taking in your elevation and the sprawling forest below you. You know how amazing this is, this feels. The city is becoming smaller, leaving the two of you in the wild abundance of these mountains. You deliberately took the long way to the park, knowing that he would appreciate the view here as opposed to the more frequently used highway little ways over.

“So—whatcha think?” 

“I’ve never seen so much _green_. It’s—it’s incredible! Where exactly are we going?”

“There’s a watershed that’s been turned into a park in these mountains. It has trails leading all over the place, some of them loop back around, some of them lead to the beach or some of the waterfalls around here.”

“Wait—we’re _that_ close to the beach?!”

“Yeah. I mean, those hikes take all day because of the change in elevation, but in total, they’re only about twelve or so miles?”

“Which one are we doing?”

“Well, Maria’s not allowed on some of the longer ones, but there are a couple one to two hour hikes that we could do or one that’s four to six hours. It’s up to you, I’m game for whatever.”

He thinks on it for a moment before saying, “Why don’t we wait until we get there? I’ve never seen anything like this and I want to make sure I make the right choice.”  
You laugh. “Armin, I’m sure whichever you choose will be the right choice. You’re here for at least the next two years, right? Let’s make the most of it.”

The road winds inwards, taking you away from the view of the valley below.

Ten minutes later, you start slowing as the road narrows before entering the park. 

“Wow—these trees are _massive_. How old are they?”

“Oh, geez, Armin! Way to put me on the spot. Uh… These trees, in particular, are, like, 2,000 years old? But the species itself is much, much older. I _do_ know that they’ve been on the planet longer than humans.” 

He’s in silent awe as you pull up to the temporary spot up front to buy a parking ticket. Maria’s tail is slapping against the cloth-covered seat behind you and Armin looks back at you.

“I just need to pay then I’ll park. There’s a museum here if you wanna look before we go?”

“You wouldn’t mind?” he asks, hesitation outweighing the excitement for a second.

“Not at all. This day is all about you.”

He blushes at the attention and you think that you could never get tired of seeing it.

You pay for the pass and move the car to an open space near some picnic tables. Armin gets out and waits for you to attach the leash to Maria’s harness before letting her out. He grabs the two bags as you allow Maria a moment to bounce around.

“I’m glad you told me to bring water—it’s really warm today.”

“Yeah, it is. C’mon. The shop and museum are this way.” 

Leading him back in the direction of the office, he comes across the display of the tree ring. It has cross-sections marked on it, denoting human history in the rings. This particular one sprouted around 544 C.E. His fingers ghost over the lines, the labels. 

“To think… so much human history happened in this single organism’s lifetime,” he whispers. 

“This isn’t even the Mother,” you respond. His eyes meet yours and the barest hint of a smile forms. It’s something… magnetic almost, pulling you to him, and it seems that you’re not the only one affected. You realize how close you two have gotten as Maria weasels her way in between the two of you, unhappy that she’s not receiving attention. 

“C’mon,” you smile, your own cheeks warming. You enter the building—it’s small, barebones, but it works. There’s a table with a topographical display of the park in the center of the room. Various seeds, leaves, and flowers are pressed and preserved along the wall with descriptions. In the connecting room, there are several displays and infographics noting the specifics of redwoods.

“They’re the tallest trees on the planet,” he murmurs, reverence clear in his tone. “The Mother is the oldest tree here, and she’s responsible for all the other trees. They only grow about three-hundred miles along this coast?”

“Yep. And only 50 miles inland. It’s the fog that keeps them nice and healthy, especially when we don’t get rain in the summer. Also! They’re tall enough that there is an entire ecosystem living in the upper branches. There are entire trees that grow in the canopy, with worms and salamanders and other things.”

The smile he gives you makes your heart stutter. The true love that he feels at learning all of this is overwhelming and you want to show him more, do more to keep that smile there.

Maria starts getting a little antsy and you take her outside while Armin continues reading. While you sit outside, leaning against the wooden banister, you catch yourself wondering what it is about Armin, why you feel so drawn to him. The two of you have been texting almost nonstop since that day in the park, and even though you’ve barely known him for six weeks, it feels like you’ve known each other much longer. Maria lets out a dissatisfied ‘gruff’ at being here but not moving, but you want to let him enjoy this. 

Being around him is comforting in ways you never anticipated. In all honesty, you think he’s too good, too pure to spend time with you, but he wants to, and you’re too enraptured to argue. 

You feel a hand on your shoulder and you look up to see Armin standing above you on the steps. 

“You ready?” you ask.

He nods and makes his way down the short staircase. You both head in the direction of the trailheads with a map showing the paths and estimated times. Settling on the shortest of them, you two get started. You pass the Mother of the Forest and he pauses to take her in. She’s fenced off to prevent ne’er do wells from fucking with her, but even from the distance, you two can see how massive she is. After a moment in awe, you two continue.

The hike starts off with a mild incline, steady and wide. The atmosphere is drenched in the scent of wet earth, redwoods, and the faint smell of honeysuckle. It’s thick, addictive, as you two keep walking. It’s quiet, for the most part. Maria is familiar with this trail, but she still sniffs as much as she can while still keeping pace with you. Armin is in a state of pure wonder. You find yourself more often than not admiring him rather than the abundant woodlands around you. 

This is nice. It soothes you in a way you haven’t experienced since before your dad passed. It is familiar like you’ve done this with him a thousand times before and you could do it a thousand times more. And the way he turns and smiles at you makes you think that he feels the same.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _When I first saw your light_  
>  _Oh, it took me by surprise_  
>  _Now I can't let you go_  
>  _You're the only thing I need to know_  
> 
> 
> duendita, "[Bury Me](https://open.spotify.com/track/1Xsx9rx4CpkMCyn1mqHw5H?si=rPtVfGdfR5KIncRljQ2DRA)" 

“Where are you taking me to today?” Armin asks as Maria throws her weight into his legs. His warm smile and the way his eyes follow her with dear affection stirs a flurry of butterflies in your belly.

“Have you been to the beach yet?” you ask, gathering the items you’ll need for the day.

When he doesn’t answer, you look over, only to see a giant fucking smile forming on his face, eyes alight with pure excitement. 

“No? Oh, then you’re going to love it! I just need to finish getting everything together and we’ll go.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asks, trying to come closer. His eyes keep glancing around your apartment—it’s his first time over, the first time you’ve trusted him with that information, something that was not lost on him. 

“Uh, yeah, actually. Can you make sure we have snacks for today? Also, did you bring a jacket?”

He wanders into your kitchenette and opens the fridge. “No, I didn’t think to. It’s going to be really hot over here today.”

“Okay. Um… I should have a jacket or three that will fit you in my closet,” you think aloud as you finish putting the towels in your bag. Meandering into your bedroom, you pull open your closet doors, looking for the zip-ups you have from concerts and music festivals from days gone by. There!

Bringing out the three hangers, you stage them on the back of the couch to allow him to decide. Maria happily bounces over to you, nudging you in a plea to get on the road. He comes over snacks in hand and takes in the jackets laid out on the couch.

“Oh. Are these from past relationships or something?” he asks, sounding somewhat dejected.

“What? Oh, no! These are from concerts I’ve been to. They didn’t have jackets in my size, so I went a little bigger,” you explain, noticing the way he seems to brighten with the new information. He hands you the food for you to put away and carefully traces the band names and logos on each jacket.

“You’ve seen them live?” He’s gesturing to the navy blue jacket from a festival, the particular band being one of the headliners. At your nod, he looks back to the jacket, carefully removing it from the hanger and trying it on. “It fits.”

You give him a wide smile. “I had a feeling it would. It’s a shame they went on an indefinite hiatus a year ago,” you lament about the band.

“Yeah. I always wanted to see them live, but I never had any money. Perhaps they’ll tour again?” 

After checking the bag for everything, twice, you join Armin on the other side of the couch. Maria starts pacing between the two of you, waiting for someone, _anyone_ , to put her damn harness on. He laughs at her anticipation and you hand him the bag so you can get the harness and leash. Once secure, you lead the two of them downstairs and to the car.

❦

Making it over the final set of hills, the ocean becomes visible. The forest expands on either side of the highway, coating the hills in green and fog and _life_ with the expansive blue covering the distant horizon. Your old university is just over these hills, and at Armin’s request, you’ve relented to show him the campus before showing him the town.

“Did you commute, or did you live on campus?” he asks as the highway disappears in favor of town roads. 

You roll down the window, eager to smell the familiar tang in the air from the lingering morning sea air. “I commuted. Helluva lot cheaper than living on campus.” As you near campus, you tell him about the layout of the school, the history of the different colleges, the professors you were able to work with. Even after knowing him for three months at this point, you’re still just as enamored by his eagerness to learn as when you first met him.

Heat rises to your face as you consider him beside you. This is overwhelmingly, achingly nice… Just… the way he fits into your life so seamlessly, the way Maria loves him—sometimes so much you feel like you’re catching her cheating on you—the way you look forward to reading his ‘good morning’ text and to sending a ‘good night’ text each day. It’s familiar and wholesome and something you ~~could get used to~~ have gotten used to. And it scares you and doesn’t simultaneously. 

“Wow. It’s a lot smaller than my campus, but it looks bigger on the map because of the hills,” he observes. “Can you show me around another time?” 

“Yeah. Whatever you want,” you promise, ignoring the burning in your cheeks as you flash him an easy smile. “Now quick question: my favorite bookshop is opening up in ten minutes, and we can check it out _now_ or we could stop by at a later time. It’s up to you.”

He thinks about it for a moment before asking, “Wait, the one you work at isn’t your favorite?”

“Nope. Not even close.”

“Huh. I’m curious what makes this one so special,” he muses, and at the light, you turn left. 

It’s a small bookshop, filled with shelves that reach the ceiling. There’s a massive skylight that brings in natural lighting and ivy that grows up the pillars, reaching for that light. There’s a resident cat or two that will come in and relax, but what makes it your favorite is the staff. They are so incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about their literature that it’s awe-inspiring. You’d much rather work here, but the commute is too much and they only accept applicants that live within the town. 

The cashier, Petra, greets you and welcomes Armin. It takes him by surprise, the way she is certain that Armin has never visited, and you reassure him that the staff _know_ their customers. She informs you that Eld is working the floor, and you’re excited to find him, to introduce Armin to him.

“What’s so special about him?” Armin asks, wonderfully confused, as you drag him through the shop to where Petra had pointed. 

“He gives the best book recommendations. I’ve never been let down, and I think he’ll find something good for you, too,” your grin is contagious, easily spreading to Armin. 

The two of you round the corner to find Eld shelving the newest shipment of mystery-fiction. 

“Hey, Eld!”

“Hey, kid,” he greets, glancing down from his step stool. “How’s it going?”

“Y’know. Same ol’, same ol’. This is Armin. He’s new-ish to the area and I’m showing him my favorites.”

“Nice to meet you, Armin,” Eld says, wiping his forehead with his arm before extending his hand for Armin to shake. “She’s not torturing you with long-winded stories about this area’s history, is she?”

“No, no. I like listening to her talk.” 

Eld notices the way your head dips for a moment as you try to hide your small smile, but he has the grace not to comment on it. “That’s good at least. What brings you two over here when you have the whole shop to explore?”

“What else? Recommendations,” you tease.

“And here I was hoping that you came for my company,” he sighs dramatically, getting down from the stool. “Alright. Hit me with the last two books you read.”

You give him the books and he leads the two of you several aisles over, pulling a small, nondescript book from a shelf taller than you. It’s not something you’ve seen before, even though you’ve heard of the author, but at this point, you take Eld’s recommendations as gospel. He turns to Armin expectantly, who repeats the process. Eld takes you back two aisles and grabs a thick novel and places it in Armin’s hands. 

“Are you sure?” Armin asks you as Eld leaves. “I’ve never heard of this book or its author before.” At your silent request, you take the book from him and read the synopsis and a random page. Oh, Armin’s going to _love_ this. 

“I’m sure. Trust me.”

His answering smile is soft, and you feel like you’re melting internally. “Okay. I do.”

The two of you peruse the store together, talking about authors who inspired either of you or who you had always wanted to read, and when he mentions wanting to read one of your favorite authors, you grab his hand and show him to the section with those books. 

You don’t notice the blush that forms or the way his hand tightens imperceptibly around yours. You don’t think anything of it when your hands are still intertwined as you make it to the counter to pay. Why would you, when it feels so natural like a piece of you that had been missing has returned?

❦

As you drive up along the coast, Armin’s eyes never falter from the ocean, at least, that’s what you think he’s staring at. ~~You aren’t about to get too hopeful~~. Maria is quietly waiting in the back, tired of sitting in the car at this point. You can’t blame her, but you want to take Armin to a lesser-known beach, one that’s less likely to have people and litter everywhere. Just as you pass the second bridge on the highway heading north, you’re pleased to see that the parking area is nearly empty, with only two other cars. 

After parking, Armin takes the bag from the back, leaving the overly-eager Maria disappointed that she wasn’t his target. Attaching her leash, she instead focuses her attention on you, ready to go. 

As has become the norm, she leans against Armin as the three of you make your way down the cliffside to the secluded shore. The climb is steep, only getting steeper, but you’d still come here every time the chance presents itself. 

The beach is separated by a large rock formation, creating a little sea cave. The cove hosts, further into the water, a large rock that gives this particular beach its name, and just like the majority of the beaches along this coast, the drop-off is startingly precipitous. There’s another couple further down on the open beach portion of the cove, and the others are atop the cliffs. 

Glancing over at Armin, his eyes are wide in awe, in unabashed appreciation. You slip your hand in his and pull him closer, to a space near the tidepools where you can put down your bag. As you go to remove your hand from his, his grip tightens, and you’re not certain whether it’s because he doesn’t want to let go or because he’s overwhelmed and just wants an anchor. Either way, you let him keep his grip on you. ~~Cause fuck only knows how you’re starting to _want_ this.~~

“Armin,” you call softly, bringing his attention back to you. The way his eyes capture yours makes you wonder if it’s not entirely one-sided, this thing you’re feeling. 

He joins you in taking off your shoes and rolling up your pant legs—though you already know that they’re going to get soaked because once you feel the water lapping at your ankles, you usually keep going until you are waist-deep. Despite the warm temperatures over the hill, it’s cold here, and this water is known for being among the coldest places along this particular stretch of 1,055 kilometers of coast.

The two of you approach the water as Maria springs forward, eager to bite at the saltwater and the offending waves. You laugh at her excitement, at the way she runs back and forth, up and down the shoreline to avoid getting wet while still trying to attack the water. The sand is cold under your feet as you get closer to the rising tides, but you continue.

This is your home, in a way. This is the continuation of your love affair with your ocean, with this marvelous bit of creation, the ebb and flow of life on this planet. The sounds of the waves crashing against the cliffsides and the lulling of the gentle tides that caress the shore here are permanently ingrained into your memory, into your subconscious. And experiencing this with someone who’s never seen this? Never seen _her?_ The one who’s held your heart the longest?

every second of this is absolutely, unquestionably  
_e u p h o r i c_

The frigid water laps at your feet and the smile that forms on your lips is that of coming home after a long journey and hearing “welcome home” from the one you needed to hear it from the most.

A sharp gasp leaves Armin as the water makes contact with him, but he persists in wanting to be by your side. You turn your head to look at him, take in the way the gentle breeze blows through his hair, the endless hope that has filled his eyes, the nervous smile that has affixed itself on his face. 

Yes. You could do this again with him. 

Being here, experiencing this, _her_ , with him is something you would very much like to do again and again.

His hand slips into yours, consciously this time, and he answers your questioning smile with a bright smile of his own. The two of you stand there as the ocean slowly moves further up the beach, as the water makes its way up to your calves, your knees, your thighs, as Maria tires herself out after having lost the battle with the ocean once more, as your thoughts drift towards this fast friend and the warmth of his hand in yours.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave any comments if you enjoy this! It warms my heart to receive feedback!


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